Chapter 21: The Crimson Bloom
Rain arrived with the assassin.
It wasn't a loud storm—just a quiet, persistent drizzle that soaked the rooftops and turned the cobbled village paths into slick trails. Lira stood at the clinic's window, a shawl wrapped tightly around her shoulders as she watched the figure in black move through the streets like a shadow with purpose.
"Elric," she said softly. "We have a problem."
He was already moving.
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In the basement, Selene's words still echoed: "They'll want to use you. Or kill you."
Now the killing part had arrived.
Elric opened the bundle Selene gave him again. The dagger inside felt strange in his hand—neither cold nor warm, and lighter than steel should be. As if it had been made to remember hands like his.
Lira entered behind him. "We have a company. One of the bad kind."
"Can you stall them with your polite sarcasm?"
She deadpanned, "I left my royal assassin-charming boots in the wash."